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Celebrate Go Skateboarding Day with John Kelly
Skateboarding and football may be an uncommon pairing, but not for Los Angeles Rams running back and avid skateboarder John Kelly.
In an interview with skateboarding company The Berrics, the 22-year-old RB talked about his 15 years of participation in the sport, saying that the passion off the field has allowed him to discover diversity and relief out of the game. That, in turn, has allowed him to develop balance and coordination to take onto the gridiron.
"To be honest, I really think I'm probably the first football player that actually can skate," Kelly said in the video interview.
As we celebrate Go Skateboarding Day on June 21, take a look at the 2018 sixth-round pick tearing it up at Westchester Skate Plaza during the offseason.
Los Angeles Rams running back John Kelly skates at Westchester Skate Plaza in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 15, 2019, ahead of Go Skateboarding Day. "Skating is really relaxing to me, it's really relieving," Kelly said in an interview with the Rams' Behind the Grind series. "When you're in a professional sport, you've got to find things other than just that sport to ease your mind."
John Kelly skateboards at Westchester Skate Plaza in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 15, 2019. "Skating's definitely harder," Kelly said in a video interview with The Berrics, a skateboarding company that runs a Los Angeles skate park and website that features the sport. "A football player can't get on a skateboard, but I'm pretty sure a skateboarder can go and run a route."
Kelly backside 5-0's a railing at Westchester Skate Plaza in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 15, 2019. In his video interview with The Berrics, Kelly talked about how skateboarding has helped his balance and coordination: "I got tired of falling and landing on my back-end all the time. I had to learn how to fall, had to learn how to brace myself." The running back is celebrating Go Skateboarding Day with the rest of the world on June 21.
Kelly kickflips off a three-stair at Westchester Skate Plaza in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 15, 2019, ahead of the summer event day. Kelly acknowledged the open risk of being a skater in an interview with the Rams' Behind the Grind series: "I've been skateboarding for so many years now, I know what I should and shouldn't be doing, what I can and can't do. I take limited risks out here." The 2018 draft pick is a big proponent of being a well-rounded athlete in many types of games.
NFL running back John Kelly skates at Westchester Skate Plaza in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 15, 2019. Go Skateboarding Day (GSD) is an international event and day of celebration for skaters across the world. Becoming a pro was always a goal for Kelly : "I almost didn't play football because I wanted to skate," he said in an interview with The Berrics, which runs an L.A. skatepark.
John Kelly kickflips off a bank at a local skate park in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 15, 2019. In an interview with the Rams' Behind the Grind series, Kelly explained how the sport launches successes on the field: "Taking hits from different angles, and learning how to keep my feet – that's definitely something I just brought into the game with me. Skateboarding has helped me a lot in my football career."
